Considering the size of the anime industry in Japan, it is no surprise that not many independent animations see the light of day, at least outside the country. However, Mizuki Ito's short, that has already won the Grand Prize at Kyoto International Manga Anime Award 2021, among a number of other awards, proves that quality can be found also outside the studios.
“Takano Intersection” is screening at ShortShorts
Close to an intersection in a city, the lives of three strangers overlap. A young girl is training in running, along a number of other girls, but she seems the most fatigued and most resolved of all. A young man with many piercings in his face, whose clothes seems to be of a chef, is walking alone, obviously dissapointed by something. A little boy is struggling riding his bike and when it is about to turn the corner, the overlapping takes place. The running girl passes very closelly to the boy, he loses his balance and falls, but she continues running. The man witnesses the whole thing, shoots her a glance and helps the boy get up. They all continue their paths, but the girl is not exactly guilt-free on what she did.
The whole story takes place around in intersection and Mizuki Ito seems to use the location as a metaphor for her protagonists' actions, as they are all in a “crossroad” regarding their decisions. The girl is not sure if she should stop running and go back and apologize, the young man is not sure of if he should go after her for her deed, plus he seems to be at a crossroads regarding his chef job, and the young boy has to choose of if he continues riding the bike or stop now that he is hurt. That the small decisions we take in life essenntiallly define who we are is excellently expressed through this minimal approach, which also presents another comment, regarding the not judging people too quickly. Probably the only issue here is the reason for the girl's intense running despite her exhaustion, which are not exactlyl clear, although even this question is nicely embedded in the narrative.
The overall presentation has a distinct anime style, in both character drawing and animation, but the fluidity of the lines and the background also move in European paths, with the combination being quite impressive. The fact that there are very few dialogues/lines, and Taishi Fujisawa's Radiohead-like soundtrack also work quite well for the overall aesthetics, with the same applying to the coloring of Yu Xue Shi, who uses the whites in rather elaborate fashion.
“Takano Intersection” is an excellent short, that highlights the quality of Japanese animation, even outside the anime industry.
